It felt like the whole Landmark had just taken a roller coaster ride

Current casualties of the Glorietta blast: Nine people, over a hundred wounded. What a tragedy.

Melissa, a friend whom I was supposed to meet last night, was eating in Via Mare in Landmark when the blast occurred. Had she decided to eat in Glorietta after a physical exam in one of the clinics there, she later told me, she would have been included among the casualties. The impact, she said, was so strong that it was even felt in Landmark. An earthquake, people around her kept saying. No, she said to herself. It felt more like the whole mall had just taken a roller coaster ride, she told me.

If that was even felt in Landmark, I can't simply imagine the impact in Glorietta.

Poor Melissa. Thank God she's safe, although she was shocked by the bloodied faces that passed by her. When she went out, she saw that blood was all over the place.

We decided not to meet last night.

For more information and updates about the blast, go to Inquirer.net's section on the incident here. You also might want to read the stories in GMANews.TV and ABS-CBN News. The indefatigable Manolo Quezon III of course had a roundup of the first-hand accounts, reactions, and updates. Malaya's newest reporter, Tonyo, calls for vigilance during these turbulent times.

Inquirer.net also recognizes the role of citizen journalists in complementing the Glorietta blast coverage of the mainstream media here.